Between our Baltimore and Washington, DC, venues, more than 17,500 animals representing 900 species call the National Aquarium home. There are constant changes, additions, and more going on behind the scenes that our guests may not notice during their visit. We want to share these fun updates with our community so we’re bringing them to you in our weekly Animal Update posts!

Check our blog every Friday to find out what’s going on… here’s what’s new this week!

Parrotfish have fused teeth that resemble a bird’s beak—hence their name. The teeth are specialized for scraping algae and invertebrates from coral and rocks. Another set of teeth (pharyngeal teeth) are on the floor and roof of the parrotfishes’ throats. These crush the ingested material.

The Amazon River Forest exhibit is in full bloom this spring! In addition to seeing an amazing collection of animals, visitors to the Aquarium can also learn about beautiful plants and flowers that are found in various habitats.

One of the most recognizable flowers right now is the Aristolochia gigantea, or Dutchman’s pipe. These odd flowers are 6-8 inches across with a mottled maroon and white coloration. They are designed to attract flies by mimicking rotting flesh in scent and appearance (ew!). Flies that enter the hole at the center of the flower are trapped temporarily inside a chamber, where they inadvertently act as pollinators. Special hairs in the tube leading to the chamber allow the insects to enter, but make exiting much more difficult!